


The New Girlfriend (A Series of Drabbles)

by InNeedOfInspiration



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Romanogers - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Skinny!Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-07 23:29:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14092080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InNeedOfInspiration/pseuds/InNeedOfInspiration
Summary: Steve never liked Bucky's girlfriends, simply because they did not like him first. They often ignored him and looked at him condescendingly. Now that Bucky had called to introduce him to his yet new girlfriend did not exactly make him enthusiastic. Meeting his best friend's new girlfriend was an exercise he found tedious and he suspected this time would not be any different...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am writing this for the sake of angst, y'all!

Steve began to tap his fingers against the wood, seated at the empty table whilst looking around him at the other people drinking and enjoying themselves, others talking loudly about how the Allies were bound to win now that the US had entered the war, totally unaware of his presence. He had been patiently waiting for nearly 20 minutes. Bucky had called earlier and told him he wanted to introduce him to his new girlfriend. Another new girlfriend. Bucky’s romantic relationships were hardly longer than his breakfasts Steve had come to realise. 

Although Bucky was his best friend, it didn’t make him blind to the evident truth: James was a ladies’ man. He was tall, handsome, funny — he was everything that women found attractive, and Bucky was well aware of it. So he was making most of it. No matter how charming, funny and endearing he was to his lady of the moment, the affection was always short-lived. 

Steve had been introduced to the new girlfriend more times than he could count, and with time, it had become quite a tedious exercise. If Bucky was ladies’ man, Steve wasn’t. No matter how hard he tried, no effort seemed good enough to catch, let alone hold, women’s attention. 

There wasn’t one girlfriend Bucky had introduced him that he had liked. Not one he had found genuinely amicable, despite the great deal of kindness she always had in store for Bucky. All of his attempts at making conversation wound up in awkward silence, suspicious looks and judging expressions. Yes, Steve did not like his best friend’s girlfriends, probably they did not like him first. 

And he knew this time would be no different. He had first declined the invitation over the phone but Bucky wasn’t the kind to take no for an answer. Tonight, he hadn’t even made the effort of wearing his nicest suit; with time, he had learned it didn’t make any difference, nor did it make him more visible. All they saw was a short, skinny boy. And many had frowned upon meeting him. 

“Steve!”, he heard a familiar call out. He turned on his chair and watched as 

Bucky passed the door and made his way through the crowd, one arm loosely stretched behind him. He waved at his friend with his other hand. 

Steve forced a smile (as he always did) and stood up. Bucky came out of the crowd towards the table and gently swung his arm to pull the lady who was holding his hand forward. 

A woman stepped from behind him, gorgeous beyond words. The first thing Steve noticed was her bright red hair elegantly tied up into a bun, a loose strand of hair hanging on the side of her face. Then he was struck by her eyes, a vivid shade of green glinting with unmissable liveness. Her lips, colored in red, looked velvety and divine. They curled up into a smile when she saw him.

“Steve,” Bucky began. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend: Natasha Romanoff.”

His mouth was slightly agape. He remained silent, completely dumbfounded by the otherworldly sight standing before him. 

She smiled and raised her hand to squeeze his shoulder. He stared down at it. 

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you. Bucky only told me good things about you.”

Her slightly broken, husky voice sang into his ear. He took his eyes off of her hand still pressed on his shoulder to look up at her. She was smiling eagerly, then, noticing the silence lingering, slightly squinted her eyes.

“Don’t listen to Tasha. She’s being polite!” Bucky exclaimed, slapping his left arm with the back of his hand. “I told her the bad stuff, too.”

She gently pulled her hand away and smiled as she leaned against Bucky’s arm.  
“It’s…it’s a pleasure to meet you too,” he finally answered, clearing his throat. 

Natasha’s smile grew bigger as it seemed she relied on their first encounter to go well to spend an enjoyable evening. 

Bucky stepped behind her and helped her remove her coat, revealing a dazzling dark green dress, and took to sit down. Meanwhile Steve straightened up his jacket, internally cursing himself for not putting on his nicest shirt — the light blue one. 

He then spun around and sat with them. He stared at her from across the table and found he had no idea of what to do with his limbs. He went for tugging his arms under the table cloth. 

“Bucky told me you two grew up together,” Natasha said with a smile, engaging the conversation. “Does it mean you have gathered compromising information on James over the years?”

Her smile turned into a mischievious smirk. He glanced away bashfully.

“Oh, it doesn’t take that long to gather compromising information on him,” he answered quietly. “A week is more than enough.”

Natasha chuckled, sounding genuinely entertained. Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Don’t believe a word he says,” he warned her. “Steve and I are the same animal. Whatever sketchy I did, I learned it from him first.”

Those harmless teasing words made Steve flush in embarrassment — then hope she wouldn’t notice.

Natasha looked him straight in the eyes with a bemused expression seeming to gauge him. He felt like she was looking right through him and for a brief moment, he felt as vulnerable as if he were standing completely bare before her. “Hmm, I’m having a hard time to believe that. I guess I’ll have time to figure out whether it’s true or not by myself.”

It was both a heart-fluttering and terrifying prospect. 

Natasha’s curiosity seemed insatiable, eagerly questioning him on his interests and opinions. It was the first time he had conversed this much with one of Bucky’s girlfriend. It was the first time he had conversed this much with a woman, period. It was an unfamiliar exercise which Natasha made feel so organic and simple, somehow. Eventually, he ceased to pick his words carefully and went along with the flow instead. 

Just as Natasha. She was spontaneous, unfettered and free-spirited; she was the type of woman who did not bend to the rules of society and yet remained elegant and graceful. She didn’t wear a mask or pretended. She was, instead, offering the most unadulterated version of herself, bringing a fresh air of candor in this world ruled by etiquette and taboo. 

“How did you two meet?” he asked, curious to find out where Bucky had managed to find a woman so far off his usual standards.

“Natasha is a clerk at the enlistment office. She’s the one who reviewed my file and gave it the magical stamp to go to the medical department. She was my lucky charm,” Bucky said before leaning in and planting a kiss in the crook of her neck. She laughed and stroked his jaw.

Steve cleared his throat.

“Stop it! I didn’t do anything” she said as he pulled away and sat back in his chair. “And you, Steve? Would you like to enroll?”  
He felt a lump in his throat. “I’d like that but…,” he trailed off, a little embarrassed. “It hasn’t been a success so far.”

Her expression turned serious. “I’m sorry,” she said sternly. “But your wanting to serve the country and fight on the front says a great deal about you.”

He shook his head and looked down at his lap. “You don’t have to say that…”

Natasha propped her forearms on the tables and slightly bent forward to him. 

“I’ve seen many men pass by my desk. More than I can count. And I can recognize bravery when I see it.” He looked up at her in amazement and found staring at him softly. “You got it, Steve. I can see it.”

Then the corner of her lips curled up into a smile. Her words fueled his determination to keep trying to get in the army. 

Later on, when the band began to play, Bucky hopped off his seat and pulled Natasha to the dance floor. He twirled her and made her sway until she laughed and her breath was cut short, all the men in the venue were watching her from their seats or corners with envy; she then buried her face into his face, closing her eyes when the music went more slowly. 

Steve watched her too and caught himself wishing he were the man who was making her dance.

For the first time, Steve did not dislike Bucky’s girlfriend. Quite the contrary, in fact. He did not dislike her _at all_. And therein lay all the problem.


	2. Drabble No2

A banging at the door interrupted Steve in the middle of his drawing. He went to open it and Bucky barged in with a big smile on.

"I've run out of cologne, is that alright if I borrow yours? By the way, when are you giving me a key to your apartment? It's long overdue," he exclaimed all in one go roaming across the room as he searched for the bottle.

"Bathroom," Steve said coolly and Bucky flashed his most content smile before dashing into the other room.

"Are you meeting with Natasha?" Steve ventured from the living room as he recalled his best friend had mentioned a cinema date a few days earlier.

"What?" Bucky's voice echoed from the bathroom.

"Are you on your way to meet with Natasha?" he repeated as his best friend stepped back into the room, straightening his shirt and bringing with him a strong smell of fragrance. Steve's nose wrinkled. "You stink, by the way."

"More is more," Bucky answered unapologetically, then with an oblivious expression added, "What do you mean meeting with Tasha?"

"Last Tuesday you told me you were taking her to the movies to watch something she's been wanting to see for days."

Bucky winced and tapped his foot on the floor. "Damn it! I totally forgot." He paused and regained composure as he seemed to gather his thoughts on this unexpected twist of events. "Nick is waiting for me outside. He's driving us to D.C. for the day to attend a rally, and then we're supposed to go to that gig.”

Steve frowned. "Don't give me that look! I'll make it up to Tasha," he continued. "But I really got to go."

He headed towards the door. "What! You're not even to call her?" Steve exclaimed.

Bucky halted as he was standing behind the door, outside. "It's too late — she's already there. Besides, my alibi stands better if I pretend I forgot altogether."  
He winked at his best friend and closed the door. Steve sighed. This was kind of an usual pattern with Bucky, but this time was different. The girl he was about to stand up wasn't any girl.

Steve looked at the clock, biting his bottom lip. Next thing he knew, he grabbed his jacket and ran out of the apartment.

When Steve arrived on the main street 20 minutes later, panting and in a sweat, he found Natasha standing by herself before the venue entrance, clutching her purse tightly whilst looking across the road, up and down the street with a tense expression.  

His running footsteps coming from behind her made her flip around. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Steve? What are you — Are you alright?" She asked when she noticed his haggard look and the messy state he was in.

He nodded. "Y..Yes, yes! I didn't want to keep you waiting too long," he answered, trying to catch his breath. 

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What is it?”

Steve looked her straight in the eyes, and as much as he hated the idea to lie to her, it bothered him more to let her be upset.

"Bucky sent me, here. He had to go....to D.C unexpectedly, and he sent me to let you know and say he's sorry."

Natasha gauged him silently. Her face turned stern. "No. He did not send you and he's not sorry," she stated with a blasé expression.

She huffed and spun on her heels, marching away.

"Natasha, please." He called after her. "Bucky cares about you."

"Look," she said as she suddenly halted to face him. "I get it. He's your best friend and you have his back, but this isn't your responsibility to come and make up excuses for him. I'm not naive."

She stared at him and he saw, beyond the anger and the annoyance, the hurt.  
"I'm so sorry," Steve conceded. "Bucky isn't a bad person. He's just...he can sometimes lack delicacy. But he has no bad intentions, I can assure you of that."  
"I know that! Why do you think I forgave him the last time he stood me up?" she hissed. After calming down, she looked down at him with a mixture of sadness and shame. "You're probably wondering why I am stupid enough to let myself be led away?"

He shook his head. "I would never think such a thing of you."

"Believe it or not, it isn't exactly easy to carry a Russian name right now. I can see their faces change when they hear it. They despise me, become condescending. I fight my way every day, and a lot of it implies to suck it up and go on. As for the men who look at me, I know what they're thinking and what their intentions are — it's always the same. And I've never trusted a man. Tragically, Bucky is the only one who doesn't treat me like I'm too foolish not to notice." She shook her head, wistful. "At least, he's not pretending to be something he's not. That's the best thing I ever got."

A sad smile came to her lips. She turned her head to glance in his direction.  
"I'm not the kind of woman men want to marry — my father has been clear about that. Repeatedly. And I don't even think that's what I want to be anyway.”

"He looked her deep in the eye. "What do you want to be?"

Natasha stared at him with a vulnerability she had never let on before. "I guess I just want to be loved. And valued for who I am inside."

Her wistful smile betrayed the lack of certainty she had to seeing become true someday. 

Part of him wanted to shout he valued her, that he thought she was unique, that he had never met anyone like her, that he dreamed of discovering every single part of her. But these were not his things to tell. He was simply her boyfriend's best friend.

He wasn't sure if she knew but he related to her words on a far deeper level he never suspected they ever could.

"Thank you for having the delicacy to come and tell me," she continued after a pause. "It seems that I am dating the wrong best friend. Another evidence of my poor life choices." She scolded herself with a lot of irony. She then clutched her purse and started off.

"Wait," he called. "Maybe we could watch that movie anyway? I can't promise I'm as pleasant company as Buck but I'd be honored to accompany you."

He offered a friendly smile. Natasha paused, pensive. 

"I'd understand if you would rather not be seen with me, though," he added.

She frowned, perplexed.

"I'm the one who would be honored,"she answered. "And proud to be seen with the person I can truly call a friend."

She smiled, too. Not a smile as beaming than those she had the first night he had met her, but a smile nevertheless.  

She stepped up and gently slid her hand behind his arm, walking with him arm in arm, chin up and grinning triumphantly, inside the venue.

The next day, when Bucky stopped by with a whole lot of stories about his trip he was dying to share, Steve did not speak to him the whole day.


	3. Drabble No3

Natasha had forgiven Bucky. But not until after she had twisted his wrist and threatened to break it next time he would dare to pull a similar move. Bucky swore on his honor — and on his wrist — that it would never happen again. And indeed, it never did. 

Steve would often wonder if she ever told Bucky what she had confided in him. He found himself hoping she didn't. As wrong and inappropriate a thought it was, he hoped that moment that intimate conversation was something only the two of them shared. 

Bucky had officially been enlisted and it was only a couple of weeks before he would officially leave New York. But before that, another event, that was far more daunting and hazardous than any battlefield, was awaiting. Brooklyn's Boys High was organizing a high school reunion. Bucky didn't mind much; quite contrarily, he said he could not wait to see how those losers from their promotion had turned out to become even bigger losers. Obviously, enthusiasm was a luxury he could afford to have: he was tall, dashing, a soldier serving his country accompanied with the most beautiful woman in the city —his night was bound to be a memorable success

Steve did not share the enthusiasm. High School was mostly a mixture of bullying and other humiliation memories. Last thing he wanted was to meet again with the same condescending faces he thought he had left behind for good a few years earlier. When he had gone, he had promised himself he would show everyone wrong and become someone. Not rich, or powerful. Just someone. Someone who was worthy of respect, and perhaps a little bit of admiration. 

Bucky and Natasha had convinced him to go, each using their own words and methods. Natasha was kind and understanding; Bucky was playful and daring. Both made it happen. 

Looking himself in the mirror, the side of his hair that usually fell off on his face combed back for the occasion, Steve sighed enthusiastically. The knock on the door pulled him out of the turmoil of thoughts and doubts swirling in his mind. 

Bucky and Natasha walked in with a big smile on. Natasha looked breathtaking; more gorgeous than he could recall ever seeing her. It seemed she had taken particular care to look her best. 

He looked at them apathetically. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Not so fast," Natasha stopped him as she held her arm out and blocked him by pressing a finger on his shoulder. He looked up at her quizzically. She had a beaming —and slightly nervous— smile. "Steven Grant Rogers, would you do me the honor of being your plus-one this evening?"

He blinked in shock as her words echoed in his mind like a remote auditory mirage. He turned to Bucky who was waiting with a smirk in the corner of his mouth. "Don't look at me like that. It was her idea and I couldn't agree more."

"What about you?" he asked.

Bucky shrugged limply, then a smirk spread across his lips. "I guess I'll enjoy my evening as a bachelor." Natasha slapped his chest with her purse. "Sensibly, of course." He added quickly.

Steve looked again at Natasha's excited look. 

"Thank you, but you don't have to do this because you feel sorry for me. I can take it."

"Yes, you can. I know that perfectly," she said confidently, as a matter-of-fact. "Which is not why I want to do it. I'm doing it because I want to enter that room filled with cretins at your arm and no one else's."

She smiled encouragingly and even added a pout to make him succumb. 

Later that evening when they entered the room arm in arm, Bucky following a few feet behind and when all eyes turned on Steve and on the breathtaking creature standing by his side, Steve felt undescribable contentment. Not because he was accompanied by indisputably the most beautiful woman in the room, but because it was Natasha. She was not a trophy he was walking around; she was the greatest gift life had ever given him that he was gently presenting for all to see.   
Natasha was gracious with all; caring and gentle with Steve.

And for a brief moment, as she smiled at him, whispered amusing comments in his ear and spoke of him in glowing terms with unquestionable honesty, and despite how impudent it was to her and to his best friend standing right across the room, catching up with old pals, Steve let himself believe she was his girl indeed. He had a lifetime to endeavor to erase the guilt of a split second of that oh so blissful fault.

And for the rest of the evening, as he saw in the guests' eyes —beyond the temporary surprise— complete admiration and newly found appreciation, he felt like someone respected.


End file.
